Education is one of the most important things for someone growing up. Education provides children an opportunity to be able to experiment and learn things about themselves as well as the larger community they will grow into. It also gives them the opportunity to learn how their character can help others and also how they can help their community grow. The communities we live in are so important in creating a good environment for us and others to grow, and schools can help us teach children how to be productive members of society and how to become themselves. I aim to accomplish this by encouraging the community to be heavily involved in my classroom and in the student’s learning process, whether that be a community member teaching for the day or them just listening to the music my students are making. Students need opportunities to interact with their community and school is the perfect place to do that. This will help them understand their role and what their role could be in our community.
The role of a teacher in the classroom is to help their students grow as a person as well as their intelligence. They are able to be a guide for the children in their process of learning and becoming their own person. We cannot force students to learn, but we can encourage them and be with them through the process. They have to come to class wanting to learn first before we can help them grow. A way that teachers can do that is to be passionate about what they are teaching, and to show it. If a teacher is excited to be in class, their students will be more likely to be excited to come to class, and therefore, be more willing to participate. Students should be in charge of their own learning, and an effective way to encourage this is by having leadership roles for them in the classroom. This can give students the drive they need to excel at their music making capabilities and also gives me the opportunity as the teacher to foster that relationship with the students so they can go to their leadership and they can come to me with things that I could improve on in my lessons.
We as teachers can help encourage this growth by providing them a safe environment where they are free to make mistakes and not be judged for them. Learning comes from making mistakes and no one should judge or make a student feel bad because they are either struggling with something and are making mistakes as a result of that. Creating this safe environment starts with the teacher building individual relationships with their students. This can help the students feel like they belong and are respected within the classroom and can give them a better opportunity to ask for help. These meetings can also give the teacher an understanding of how the student learns so they can ensure they create activities that can engage each student. Students also learn best when they are given a variety of different learning methods, such as hands on activities, group projects, oral reports, papers, worksheets, and many others. They should be given a variety to keep them engaged and excited to come to class everyday.
Creating a safe learning environment for our students also means creating an environment that reflects who they are. It is very important that a teacher makes sure everyone feels included and comfortable. I intend to learn about the children I am teaching and what their backgrounds look like and making the classroom more welcoming to children of all of their different backgrounds when creating individual relationships.
